The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Conventional truck box architecture consists of a unitized box where box side inner panels, outer panels, a header panel and a floorpan function as a system to provide the overall box stiffness and structural performance characteristics. Typically the truck box is constructed from stamped steel panels with stamped or roll-formed lateral steel cross-members to support the floor. The conventional design relies on the contribution of the box sides for the overall structural performance. Without the contribution from the box sides, the floor and lateral cross-members provide very little torsional and bending stiffness on their own.